branch update

NECA ACT & Southern NSW Member Manager

Welcome to the September issue of NeCA NeWS.

It’s hard to believe that we are three quarters into the year, with planning already underway for our next series of Industry Nights and end-of-year events.

On Friday 19 August, NeCA ACt held its annual excellence Awards lunch at the Hyatt Canberra with over 300 guests celebrating the very best electrical and communications projects from across the ACt. Congratulations to our award category winners: ½ Davis Hart electrical Solutions for

Small Contracting business of the Year; ½ Control & electric for Work Health and Safety – excellence in Action; ½ National electrical Solutions for

Lighting Design and Construct; ½ Shepherd electrical for Green energy and Industrial Large; ½ Intravision for ICt and AV; ½ martin Donnelly for Industrial Small; ½ Stowe Australia for Commercial Small; ½ martin Donnelly for

Commercial medium; and ½ Star electric for Commercial Large.

We would also like to acknowledge and thank our awards sponsors: Clipsal Schneider, Legend Cabac, NHp, mmem, tLe, NeSS Super, NeCA training and Apprenticeships, and our event supporters: the ACt training Fund Authority and the ACt Government – Access Canberra. With the national awards still to come, more details will be provided in the December issue of NeCA NeWS. In the meantime, we encourage you to visit NeCA.tV to watch the winners’ video clips.

NeCA recently commended the ACt Government’s focus on gender equity for women in the construction industry, after the government announced that the new Strathnairn primary School will be a female-led construction project.

NeCA, which has long advocated for women in construction, stated that the initiative was a significant step forward in improving gender equality within the construction industry. NeCA CeO Oliver Judd said, “With just 2.4% of the construction workforce being women, the industry needs to make cultural changes that encourage more women to join, and provide ongoing top-down same-gender support to maintain retention.”

the Strathnairn primary School project, with its women-led onsite management and women’s representation amongst all trade subcontractors, is a rare opportunity to implement and improve positive cultural change. Just over 15% of NeCA’s 150 apprentices in the ACt are female, with NeCA continuing to actively increase the number of female apprentices it employs. barriers for women entering the industry are slowly coming down; however, women still have very small numbers of female peers on site, and this can be intimidating for some people seeking to enter the industry.

to remove gender barriers in the construction industry, we need to see projects with a stronger female representation across all levels of hierarchy. NeCA applauds the ACt Government on this initiative.

As Australia expands its renewable energy adoption, it is increasingly important for electricians to have the knowledge and skills to work on solar power systems. In Canberra, the solar capital of Australia, more than 10% of houses have rooftop solar systems. Increasing the ACt’s electricity generation using solar is an ACt Government priority. In recent months, NeCA training secured ACt Government Job trainer Skilled Capital Funding to provide a limited number of free Solar and battery Storage courses delivered from NeCA’s Fyshwick Campus. Usually valued together at $4,190, the courses were offered free for NeCA ACt members who submitted an expression of interest. this program generated recordbreaking enrolments, quickly filling the available places. Upon completion of the course, students will receive a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment.

NeCA will continue to apply for further industry course funding so members can gain skills that are in high demand. Keep an eye out in your email for further updates.

NeCA recently became aware that electrical contractors may be using online forums to get advice and interpretation of industry standards. Whilst there are some excellent forums available, feedback shows they are not always the best source of accurate information.

NeCA’s technical experts sit on a range of industry standard committees including the Wiring rules committee, and often provide submissions on changes in legislation or policy. this work keeps them up to date with current knowledge. Our team can assist you with: ½ interpreting industry standards; ½ offering alternative solutions to your technical issues; and ½ conducting site visits for third-party opinions.

All NeCA members receive free phone and email support from our technical experts. Scan the Qr code to connect with NeCA.

All NeCA members have access to unlimited phone and email support with any technical issues. If you need any clarification on how the changes apply to your unique situations, connect with NeCA’s technical experts today.

Scan the Qr code to submit your enquiry.

Access Canberra has provided guidance on changes to rCDs, which relate to several clauses in AS/NZS 3000:2018 A2. these include:

Additional protection by rCDs with a maximum rated residual current of 30mA shall be provided for all final subcircuits in domestic and residential electrical installations.

Care should be taken when designing the installation to minimise nuisance rCD tripping due to combined leakage currents of electrical equipment.

the list provided in the clause is not exhaustive, and each installation’s circumstances must be assessed for all relevant risk factors.

Where employees, customers, and visitors encounter such equipment in commercial and industrial settings, contacts are likely to be more frequent, compared with residential installations. It is recommended that electricians fit rCDs designed to trip at 30mA leakage for all final sub-circuits up to 32A in all non-residential installations where employees and visitors can encounter electrical equipment. Where an electrician chooses not to install an rCD on a final subcircuit under this clause, the electrician should ensure they have a risk assessment of why they elected not to install an rCD. the risk assessment should show acceptance by the person Conducting a business or Undertaking (pCbU) of the electrical installation.

the risk assessment may be required if there is an investigation into an accident that an rCD could have prevented.

Where an electrician is using exceptions 2 & 3 as listed under this clause not to install an rCD on a final subcircuit, the Access Canberra electrical inspections team will need to see a copy of the risk assessment to support the decision not to install an rCD on that final subcircuit. the risk assessment is to show acceptance by the person Conducting a business or Undertaking (pCbU) of the electrical installation.

the risk assessment may be required if there is an investigation into an accident that an rCD could have prevented. Also, the risk assessment will assist the electrical Inspector to understand your circumstances for the exemption.